Rocket went back and forth over making its singalong live or prerecorded, Mildenhall said. The NFL initially squashed the idea of going live due to expected complications but later changed its mind because the idea lent itself to a live moment, he said.

A staple of Super Bowl Sunday advertising and a two-time winner of USA TODAY’s Ad Meter contest, Rocket’s new chief marketing officer, Jonathan Mildenhall, was determined to maximize a campaign built around the use of John Denver’s iconic tune, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”